Knight Program
The original design for the Knight Program was based off of recovered ruins on Taros' larger moon Ogun. Wreckage from an ancient observatory not necessarily military in function and yet still hosting a wealth of weapon and armor systems information vastly more advanced than any the Union could at the time conceive none the less implement. Program History While an active research project since 150 B.U. It would not come into fruition until 75 P.U. Over 200 years after its conception. During these nearly 200 years the science and technology to bring the project to life simply did not exist. Coupled by the near extinction event and subsequent wars for mere survival the project and its details were largely forgotten with some never being recovered once the Union was established. Bishop 2 took over the project and in the years of early Dabusian hostilities the program was more carefully analyzed for a possible implementation in order to quell the outbreak of violence. Researchers began focusing more attention and funding on the program as its applications were immeasurable. Once the First Contact War began the Union funneled war time funding into Bishop 2's special projects division which went largely to the Program code named Knight. Within two years of the conflict Knight's were deployed to the battlefield of Lentus and quickly turned the tide of the ground conflict moments after the Union retreat to Dabus. Unbeknownst to the Union who had returned to Dabus to quell a Dabusian Rebellion the Knights were indeed a massive success. The one hundred Knight's were selected from special operations units focusing on quick target neutralization, team work, and infiltration/retrieval. The soldiers underwent inconceivable and largely undocumented medical procedures in order to make them capable of handling the Knight armor to the point where the first one hundred were reported to lose all pigmentation and convert to a dull ash colored skin and blood shot eyes. Beyond these physical changes Knights bonded with their armor which had its own digital nervous system which combined with and was based on the wearers own nervous system. It was an extension of the soldiers mind and body. The result of such intimate bonding was a 100% preference for wearing the armor even when not in combat and a 80% reliance on the armor without which soldiers often suffered from anxiety, paranoia, headaches, siezures, excruciating bodily pain, organ failure, heart attack, sudden blindness, loss of hearing, and death. After the first contact war Bishop having had considerable time to witness the effects of the Knight program on its members was stricken with a sick reality that the Knights were entirely war machines. Bishop with the permission of the Prime Liason sent remaining knights except for a study group into unknown space with the mission to hunt down and sabotage the recovery efforts of the Sirich, a mission shut down after discovering the true nature of the First Contact War and the history of the Sirich as a slave species to a much greater foe. By the time of the Lumon Empire War in 100 P.U. The military Capitol world of Conquest was also the housing colony and training colony for the Knights who had in the last thirty-plus years aged considerably little. The Knights held considerable influence with the public and were used as guards for high profile politicians and ceremonial purposes. With pairs of knights training 20 prospective knights each the Knights Guard was standing at 1,100 members with distinguished ranks. Ranks * Paladin: White armor, leading rank, organized into the Knights Court. * Lancer: Black armor, oversee missions and exercises along with quality of life for Knights and train Prospects. * Knight: Crimson red armor, under the direct or indirect leadership of Lancer's Knights conduct missions against enemies of the Union and ensured its safety. * Prospect: A selected member of various special operations units fledging to become a knight. As the number of Paladins grew and the Knights Court become too large to effectively lead the Knights established Legions. Each Legion was 1,000 Knights strong with 100 Lancers and 10 Paladins. The 10 Paladins made up a Court and one member would act as the Speaker who would be a member of the Congregate. A Court of Paladins composed of Speakers from each Legion Court. The title of Speaker would rotate from the pool of legion paladins.